Car Polishing Pad Care

It’s important to take good care of the pads that come with your polisher. You don’t have to clean them every time – but you should keep them sealed in ziploc bags when you’re not using them. NEVER let them fall on the ground because they can pick up bits of debris that will scratch your paint for sure!

The harder pads (like the white one and the orange one) tend to get dirtier sooner because they are usually the ones you use to clean the paint.

The best way to clean them is in a bucket of hot water and dish soap or car soap. The reason that you want hot water is because you want the wax to release from the pad.

I like dish soap because it really cleans the pads. I clean them one at a time by totally submerging the pad in the warm water and squeeze it gently about 10 to 15 times. I check to see if all the wax and dirt is out of the pad by simply looking at the color of pad. If it’s still showing some dirt or wax residue, then I’ll keep washing.

Once the pad is clean then I’ll do the squeeze-release technique some more under a stream of clear water to rinse out any soap.

Cleaning all the pads usually takes about 10 minutes. Once I’m done, I will let them air dry, which in the warmer months, usually takes a few hours. Once they’re dry, I’ll put them back in their bags so they’re ready for next use.

Here’s what they look like while drying out on the patio table, after being washed. Note the temperature outside shows about 25 degrees.

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